Businesses: Experience we create draws visitors

As the tourism industry is celebrated across the state this week, area businesses say it’s the experience they create that draws the visitors to the coast.

Jannette Pippin - Jannette.Pippin@JDNews.com

As the tourism industry is celebrated across the state this week, area businesses say it’s the experience they create that draws the visitors to the coast.

“It takes everybody working together, whether it’s the shops, the restaurants, or other businesses because it’s the experience people have while they are here that determines whether or not they come back,” said Capt. Michael Blackburn, owner of Makin Waves jet ski rentals in Sneads Ferry.

Blackburn said they are open from May to September and about 95 percent of his business is tourism-related.

He’s been in business in the area for 29 years and says tourism has increased steadily. And there’s one factor that hasn’t changed.

“Topsail Island has traditionally been a family oriented destination,” he said.

Whether they head for coastal destinations or prefer the mountain views, visitors are keeping North Carolina in their travel plans.

The North Carolina tourism industry generated record visitor spending in 2013. Domestic travelers spent $20.2 billion in the state in 2013, up 4 percent from $19.4 billion in 2012, according to new figures from the U.S. Travel Association.

“It came as no surprise to me when I learned that North Carolina is the sixth-most visited state in the country,” said Gov. Pat McCrory, who was at the Outer Banks Thursday to celebrate Tourism Week. “We have the most beautiful and varied landscapes, with travel destinations lining the way from the mountains to the coast. (N.C. Commerce) Secretary Sharon Decker, (N.C. Cultural Resources) Secretary Susan Kluttz and I are committed to promoting the tourism industry. Not only is it a boon for our rural economies, providing thousands of jobs, it also draws international attention to the state and its abundance of historical and environmental resources.”

Tourism Week in North Carolina is part of National Travel & Tourism Week, which also runs May 3-11.

Visitors spent more than $55 million per day in North Carolina last year and contributed more than $4.4 million per day in state and local tax revenues as a result of that spending, according to the preliminary results of the study.

While county figures on visitor spending won’t be available until the fall, area business owners know well the economic impact of tourism.

April Clark, owner of Second Wind Eco Tours & Yoga in Swansboro, which offers eco-friendly cycling, kayak tours and yoga, said customers from the local area sustain them throughout the year, with business from June through August mainly tourism related.

Whether they are visitors in the area due to a military connection or enjoying all that coastal North Carolina has to offer, Clark said they offer more than just a paddle on the waterway as they head to nearby Jones or Bear islands at Hammocks Beach State Park.

“As they are out there they get a little history and insight to the community,” she said.

Onslow County Tourism Director Theresa Carter said the county’s beaches are a top attraction but topping the list of visitors is friends and family. In our military community, they come for homecomings, deployments and graduations and stay take in the area’s events and attractions while they are here.

“In communities across the country, the No. 1 visitor is friends and family,” she said.

But once they are here, it’s important to make a good first impression.

“If we treat people well, show them a good time . . .they’ll come back over and over and over again,” she said.

Tourism officials in Carteret County said they are continually working to draw people to the Crystal Coast and promote its attractions and events, from its Bogue Banks beaches to Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Elizabeth Barrow of the Crystal Coast Tourism Development Authority said that whether they come to town for the beach or take part in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, their experience is what lasts once they get home.

A big part of greeting visitors, and keeping them coming back, is the hospitality they receive while here.